(CNN) - Much has been made of Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry's college experience as a "cheerleader" during his days at Texas A&M University. Except that Perry was never a cheerleader. He was a "yell leader."

Both are spirit organizations at college sporting events, but otherwise they're quite different, and Perry's role as a yell leader during his college days may serve as an early indicator of political instinct and electoral prowess.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – You know the debt ceiling debate has reached a new level of intensity when former House Speaker Newt Gingrich starts reminiscing about his 1995 government shutdown negotiations with former President Bill Clinton.

On Tuesday, the Republican presidential candidate told New Hampshire radio station WNTK, "Bill Clinton was, in the end, willing to be practical ... We were able to sit down, face-to-face, and negotiate a deal. He really was so much further to the center than President Obama is, and he was so much more flexible than President Obama. I don't think there's any comparison of the environment."FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – When it comes to GOP presidential contender Michele Bachmann's history with migraine headaches, there is a lot to learn.

Migraines are a mysterious affliction. Not unlike most presidential candidates, they often start with a unique aura. They tend to be cerebral and are inevitably one-sided. And also like the range of candidates in a field, they run the spectrum.FULL POST

When President John Kennedy promised the country a lunar landing within eight years, his famous declaration became a symbol of the American can-do ideal, stating that we do such endeavors, "Not because they are easy, but because they are hard."FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's spokesman Rick Tyler confirmed to CNN Wednesday that the presidential hopeful's campaign trail absence was because of a "planned vacation" with his wife, Callista.

With no warning, Gingrich fell off the Republican presidential candidate radar after his last public appearance on May 27th in Columbia, South Carolina. The timing fueled speculation about his candidacy because it was so soon after he made comments on House Budget chairman Paul Ryan's Medicare voucher plan that incited the conservative base.

Washington (CNN) - According to potential Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, President Obama does not tell the truth or have the courage to lead. And, in a nutshell, that's the refrain running through many of the former Minnesota governor's speeches and television interviews in his presidential campaign launch.

While he has used both the strains of truthfulness and courage on the domestic front in the weeks since his official announcement on May 23rd, he had previously questioned the president's courage on foreign policy earlier in the year. That stopped not long before Osama Bin Laden met his end at the hands of US forces. Now Pawlenty's mantra is limited to issues at home, mainly, the nation's fiscal straits.FULL POST

(CNN) - Rep. Paul Ryan's budget has become a litmus test for any Republican considering a White House run, but now even non-candidates like Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels are weighing in on the budget chairman's proposed plan.

"Congressman Ryan's made tremendous contribution and nobody should criticize his plan unless they've something of similar dimension of their own to offer up," Daniels said in an interview with CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger that is to air Tuesday night on "In the Arena."FULL POST

(CNN) - Democratic congressional candidate Janice Hahn is leaving nothing on the table in her race to succeed former Rep. Jane Harman (D) in next month's special election for California's 36th district.

Although the West Los Angeles district has traditionally leaned Democratic, Hahn's campaign says it is going up Tuesday with a television ad that compares her Republican opponent, Craig Huey, to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - President Obama's top communications official is set to address the progressive Netroots Nation annual conference next week, another sign the White House is gearing up for the upcoming campaign and how seriously they take the online community.

Netroots Nation announced Monday that White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer will be their keynote speaker this year. The gathering of progressive activists and bloggers will hear an address from Pfeiffer which will also have question and answer session.FULL POST

(CNN)–The Gray Lady’s new leading lady is not raring for a fight… at least with Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington. On the day she was named the New York Times’ first woman executive editor, Jill Abramson spoke to CNN’s Jessica Yellin in an interview airing tonight on CNN's “John King, USA.”

This past spring, outgoing New York Times executive editor Bill Keller wrote a highly critical essay in the New York Times magazine comparing the Huffington Post’s aggregation to “piracy.” A back-and-forth between him and Huffington ensued.FULL POST